Adelson’s Israel Hayom: ‘Rubio – Biggest Winner’ in Iowa

The chatter around Sheldon Adelson’s recent contribution to the Ted Cruz campaign raised the question whether it indicates where his heart is in determining who gets his coveted endorsement. But if Adelson’s owned Israeli newspaper, Israel Hayom, serves as any indication, it seems that the Vegas casino mogul may soon be giving Rubio the boost he needs, following Iowa’s outcome and a possible good showing in the New Hampshire primary.

“The big winner was Marco Rubio, who leapt above expectations with 23%,” the cover’s sub-line read. In a spread over the 3rd page, Boaz Bismuth, the paper’s foreign editor and columnist wrote, “Rubio is suddenly being portrayed as the party’s savior, the man who can win not only his party primaries at the Republican convention in Ohio in June but also the general election in November.”

“We can assume that many donors will be affected by Rubio’s success in Iowa and donate to his campaign,” he added.

Last year, the newspaper’s coverage of Rubio declaring his candidacy, was described by some as ‘fawning.’ The announcement merited a front-page headline, leading to an interview with Bismuth, Bloomberg News noted. Israel’s Seventh Eye, an online media review, described the interview as “fawning over” Rubio.

Adelson’s political advisor, Andy Abboud, recently told BuzzFeed News that Sheldon and Miriam Adelson gave to several candidates in 2016 and “nobody has been endorsed.”

But there’s reason to believe that Rubio’s strong showing in Iowa and electability strength will prompt Sheldon to pick him over Cruz in the weeks to come.